Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The Risen Christ is “the only hope that can still open, here and now, the gates of peace,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M. “He is not merely to be contemplated; he is to be followed. He is not to be held back; we must allow him to lead the way.”

Cardinal Pizzaballa added:

The stone has been rolled away. The passage is open. But we must decide whether to stay inside or go out.

In practical terms, stepping out means choosing forgiveness when it would be easier to harden our hearts; choosing truth when it would be more comfortable to conform; choosing hope when everything suggests the opposite; choosing to do good, just as Jesus “went about doing good,” even if it goes unnoticed, even if it brings no recognition.

In a front-page op-ed in today’s edition of the Vatican newspaper, an Italian bishop described peacemaking as the third way between “naive pacifism” and “vulgar militarism.”